Method and apparatus for compacting textile fibers



Nav. 18, 1952 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPACTING TEXTILE F IBERS Filed July 26, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet l LESTER E. KEENE NOV. 18, 1952 E, KEENE i 2,618,023

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPACTING TEXTILE FIBERS Filed July 26,` 1948 s sheets-sheet 2 v le? W45 494660 liNvlNl-DR:

LESTER E. KEENE NOV. 18, 1952 E, KEENE4 2,618,023

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR. COMPACTVING TEXTILE FIBERS Filed July 26. 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INV E: N "FR:

LESTER E. KEENE "with each other.

Patented Nov. 18, 1952 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPACT- ING TEXTILE FIBERS Lester E. Keene, Newtonville, Mass., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Whitin Machine Works, a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 26, 1948, Serial No. 40,645

10 Claims.

My present invention relates to continuous flber draftingmechanisms and to a method for converting sliver into roving or for` the further drawing of roving.

f The object of drawing or drafting sliver or roving is to attenuate it and at the same time, so far as possible, to arrange the fibers parallel Any departure from ideal perfect parallelism creates irregularities in the drafting which carry through on subsequent operations causing variations in size and breaking strength of the spun yarn. Consequently, the effectiveness of a drafting mechanism of any type is measured by the extent to which it changes the random arrangement of the fibers into a parallel arrangement. No device should be introduced into the processing machinery which will disturb fiber parallelism if anything approaching the ideal condition is to be achieved. A customary procedure has been to put a twist into the sliver after it has been drafted and thus to form a roving, then wind the roving on a bobbin, and then place the bobbin in the next processing machine, the operation being repeated until the roving has been reduced in size and attenuated enough to be `ready for the final spinning operation. Many attempts have been made to do a more extensive drafting operation on a single machine and thus -do away with the intermediate twisting step or steps. Some machines designed to accomplish Vthis result have operated by folding the sliver longitudinally upon itself Y and turning in the edges. Such machines have successive drafting stages separated by a zone inwhich no substantial draft takes place and they lay the edge fibers across other fibers, thus undoing to that extent the work done by previous processes.

I have discovered that it is possible to make a -drafting mechanism in which the fibers of the sliver are squeezed together or compacted during drafting without being laid crosswise of each other and the previous parallel arrangement of the fibers is enhanced rather than disturbed. In the machine embodying my invention, the drafting of the sliver proceeds continuously, although ism-produced by any previous drafting process.

In-a zone in which such a device is positioned, a

substantial draft vis entirely practicable.

Since substantial drafting may take place during the lateral and vertical compacting of the sliver or roving, it is possible to redistribute the amount of drafting which takes place in the several zones of the machine, thus making the draft more gradual and uniform through the machine. As is well known, a drafting mechanism with three pairs of rolls forming two draft zones accomplishes thesame total draft better than a machine with two pairs of rolls and a single draft zone. My invention makes it possible to reduce the rate of draft in one ormore of the draft zones by the amount of draft which is performed in the zone in which the compacting device or condenser is located, thus if a draft of 1.33 is accomplished in the zone in which the compacting device is located, the draft in the fol- -the passage being formed to give to the sliver or roving an up and down sinuous or weaving course, i. e. in a vertical plane, which imparts to the sliver a series of horizontal transverse bends and .overcomes the tendency of the fibers. to get them- .selves into crosswise or transverse position. The -repeated transverse bending of the sliver or roving While it is subjected to the pull of the rolls at the delivery end of the zone in which the condenser or compacting device is located loosens the fibers in the bundle and tends to releasethem from their tendency to cling to each other, so that they slide more freely on each other. At the same time the transverse bending flattens the sliver transversely and thus counteracts any tendency of the edge fibers to be laidl over onto the center fibers. A notable improvement in smoothness and uniformity of the yarn results.

A machine embodying my invention can be constructed `with the successive pairs of drafting rolls having the usual settings and when myv novel compacting device or condenser is placedin a drafting zone between two successive drafting stages,the drafting through the machine is continuous although' at differing rates. 4

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be best understood from the following particulardescription ofa preferred embodiment thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, this, however,

having been chosen for the purpose of exemplication only, as it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention, as defined by the claims hereunto appended, can be otherwise einbodied without departing from its spirit and scope.

In the drawings:

Fig. -1 iis a vertical, sectional view, partly in elevation. of a portion of a drafting mechanism for converting sliver into roving according to the method of my invention and also showing in longitudinal vertical section the compacting device or condenser embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View, on enlarged scale iand somewhat diagrammatic in character, of a portion of the drafting mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1, with the top rolls removed, and showing the changing form of the sliver at different points in its path of travel through the drafting .mechanism and the compacting device; Fig. 3`is a vertical sectional view, taken'on the line` 3-13 of `Fig. 2 rof the drafting mechanism :there illustrated ibut with the top rolls in position;

Y Fig. 4 is a rear elevation'of .a compacting `device v-or' condenser constructed in accordance with the invention 'and viewed from the feed end;

Fig. 5 is an .exploded perspective View of the Icompacting device Vor condenser shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is'a'rear 'elevation'of the compacting de- 'vice or condenser'illustrated in Fig. 4 and shown 1in ,opened position t'o facilitate insertion of a sliver;V

51mg, 571s aperspective view, yon enlarged scale, isho'wln'g dahezccmpressing and condensing action :ofalpl-urality of adjoining .alternating ridges or `notched,'cross-members 'relative to a Vportion of sliver passing thereover as 'would occur Vin'its for- 'ward movement through the compacting'device or icondenseriduring a drafting operation;

-Eig. fshows'amodied `form vof .compacting de- V`vice; and

Fig-Qshows another-*modified form of compact- `n'gdev-ce.

Referring to the drawings and Amore particulariyto-Figs. 1 and 2,"the .invention is there illus- ,trated as embodied ina five-line drawing mechafnism of :a `long draft roving frame, Vand includes f'spacedpairs of rolls I0, 1.2,; I4, I5; LIB, Il; I8, I9 `vlandZll, .2I .arranged -in :series of which veach pair acompr-ises a relatively kshort covered upper roll and alQngtudinallylfluted lower roll' of considerable length made up of shorter sections .joined together :endete-end, The construction 'and ar- -frangementfof -thesezrolls are conventional Vin Athat the lower rolls :arejour'nalled for rotationin suit- .iablefbearng s1ides22. 23,i24'and 25 havinglimited -adjustment -onfthe usual-roll ystands Grone being .shown in the-drawing, a series-,of such standsbe- -illg Secured -at spaced locations along the yusual rolleribeam-21 of the machine. Mounted rear- ,fwardly of the rollsStand-25 is the bracket l-28 pro- A.viding a pivotal support as at *2,9 Afor-the usual cap .bar arm 3B O nwhich iscarried the adjust- -,ab1enebs\3,I./32 33, 34 l and 35 which loosely support the adjoining 4terminal endsof the upper rolls KIl), I4, IIS, I8 and 2|) respectively.

Asthus arranged, the lower rolls I2, I5, Il, I9 "and 25| arepositively driven by suitable gearing, not shown, and they Yare caused to be rotated at successively ,greater speeds whereby the several pairs of rollswill rotate with the proper surface fi'el'ocitics'to e'iect the required total draft of the sliver 'or'rov-ing herein designated at 31 passing v:betlveen Vthem during its'travelthrough the successive draft zones. Thus, in this particular arrangement, the pair of back rolls or feed rolls III and I2 respectively, draw the sliver or roving 31 of textile fibers from a, can (not shown) or other source of supply, and feed it forward to the next or first pair of intermediate rolls, indicated at I4 and I 5. In front of these are the vsecond and third pairs of intermediate rolls I8, I1 and I8', I9, respectively, the rolls I8 and I9 being 'located immediately behind the pair of front or delivery rolls 2D .and 2I. Preferably the sliver or roving 31 is drawn Ythrough a trumpet 38 before entering the bite of the back rolls I and I2. The trumpet 38 may have a circular aperture and is of well known construction in the art. Traverse of the trumpet 38 is provided by the usual traverse rod which supports the trumpet and is arranged for reciprocable movement in the slot 4I in the back roll slide 22 when actuated by suitable traversing mechanism (not shown), as is a common practice in this art.

The Vfive `pairs of rolls shown in Fig. l of the Ydrawings provide four drafting stages, the iirst being between the rst pair of rolls lI'Iland I2 and the secondpair of rolls Id and I5, the second being between this pair of rolls and the third pair IS, 'Ii'. The third drafting stage is between the pair of rolls I6, I7 andthefourthpairI8, I9. The compacting device orcondenser islplaced in the third-*drafting zone so that as the sliver 3'! is being drawn it is Salso being compacted laterally. The amount of draft inthe compacting stage is from 1.25 upward. The nal drafting stage is between the 'roll pair i8, vI 9` and the delivery rolls 20 Yar1d2l.

The upper rolls o'f each :pair are pressed against their associated .lower rolls by means of any suit- -able weighting mechanism, one representativearrangement being generally designated by the nu- `merals .dii and 44', Vwhereby the array .of bers passing-between the pairszof .drafting rolls will be `irinly'gripped thereby and lcarried forward in suc- 'cessionbetween each pair .of rolls andthe desired drafting .effected if the settings of the pairs of 'drafting rolls lare properly adjusted and the relative surface velocities and speeds of the rolls is iprovided. -While the :topirollsaddle and weightving'mechanism shownin Fig. l forms no feature of the present invention, mention is made that this Iweighting and top roll lpressure applying mechanismfembodies structure disclosed in Patents Nos. 2,203,419 and 2,203,424, both of said vpatents being granted-June 4,1940.

In .the third drafting zone, that is, between the second and 'third pairs of intermediate rolls I6, l-'I and I8, I9, respectively, I place my novel compacting deviceorfoonden'ser'c presently vto bedescribed.

',One form of 'compacting device or condenser of Vthe 'present invention .is illustrated inFigs. 4,

ifa-and 6 and-comprises'two cooperating separable members 46 and 241 each including ya series Vof `cross-members or parallel 'bars 48, 48', 48 and ,49, 49'v,respectively, arranged in two groups, the

cross members of each group being `widely vspaced relative toeaeh otheron'their associatedsupporting member. In-theform depicted in Figs. land 6 vthe members-4B and 41 are shown hinged together lby meansof a pin SI1-which Vpasses vthrough suitable `enlarged portions- 5I,

5V, 5I and 52, 52 terminating the vfree lends Vof' ,theA respective cross-members, ,and also through the circular yspacing elements 55. In .this instance, the 4members 46 and 47 have pivetal movement about Va ,horizontal axis, the

`per or movable member of the device.

lower member 46, and vice versa. Notches 53, y

53 land 53" Iare provided `in the to-p faces of the cross-members 48, 48 and 48" while the cross-members 49 and 49, in turn, have notches 54,` 54' provided in their bottom faces. Each of these notches is formed with converging vertical side walls4 and they are progressively graduated in size whereby they provide, when in operative position, a forwardly converging passageway through the device and the alternating `upper and lower faces of the cross-members form an up-and-down or vertically sinuous path for the sliver or roving. Thus, the notched sections provide through the device a sectional passageway which presents aseries of substantially flat forwardly inclined guiding surfaces alternately in contact with the opposite sides of a sliver or roving as it passes through the device. The size of this passageway decreases substantially uniformly laterally from the entering to the delivery ends of the device. The` notches preferably are provided with outwardly flaring or curved entrance ends to make sure that all of the fibers, particularly those at the edges, will lbe carriedforward with the sliver.

It will thus be seen that the notches and their respective cross-members, when in operative position as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, provide a series of ridges arranged transversely of the sliver 31 and over and under which it passes in going through the compacting devi-ce combined with vertical confining walls which converge in the horizontal plane towards the delivery end. In accordance with this arrangement, it will be observed also that the tops and bottoms of alterhating ridges and the vertical confining walls of the notches are at right angles to each other.

In practice, the device is mounted on a traverse bar so that it may be traversed to reduce unevenv wear ofthe top rolls. The members 46 and 41 may be formed as individual die castings from any of the well known die casting metals or they may be formed as rigid molded plastic bodies of thermosetting phenolic resins such as, for example, Bakelite phenolic resin lformed under heat and pressure into a hard infusible final product, or of any other suitable thermosetting phenolic molding material.

Suitable detent means, such as a spring latch element 58, may be provided to hold the top member 41 secured in its operative position with respect to the lower member 46, and also to prevent accidental separation of these members when the device is in use. This arrangement permits the upper and lower groups of crossmembers to be separated when it is desired to thread or clean the device. "Fig` 8 shows a modified form of compacting device or condenser whichl differs from the structure of Fig. 4 in that the ridges are formed by a series of spaced rods 6U which have their opposite ends fixed to a pair of wall members 6l, one of which is shown in Fig. 8. These wall members are vertical and converge toward the forward or delivery end of the device and with the rods 60 provide a converging vertical sinuous passageway.

Fig. 9 shows another modied form of the com- 6. pacting device or condenser. vIn this construction the sinuous passageway is afforded by two cooperating upper and lower corrugated members .62 and 63 secured to converging vertical members 64, one of which is shown in Fig. 9. The corrugated members 62 and 63 are so placed that the ridges a of. the upper member are over the depressions b of the lower member.

As the sliver goes through the compacting or condensing device it passes alternately over and under the surfaces of the ridges, i. e., crossmembers, notched bars or corrugations, thereby being given an up and down sinuouslmcvement, in a vertical plane, and the vertical walls of the passage through the compacting device crowd the fibers of the sliver or roving inwardly toward each other. This progressive inward crowding movement caused by the converging vertical walls of the passageway might make the edges of the sliver or roving curl up so that when viewed transversely in cross section the sliver would be slightly concave were not this tendency counteracted, -and the fibers at the edges of the sliver would thenbe laid over onto the edges of the body of the sliver and lie crosswisey of them. However, each time that the sliver passes over or under one of the ridges, it is bent in the direction which counteracts the tendency to curl and is thus flattened. The upward and downward bending of the sliver also tends to loosen the contact or grip of the fibers on each other, rendering them freer to be pulled out by any drafting action of the rolls. The result is that the parallelism of the bers does not decrease but rather is increased by the passage of the sliver through the compacting device and a smoother, stronger and more uniform yarn is produced. The device also makes it possible to do more or even all of the drafting in a singlev machine and to make the several stages of drafting in this machine more nearly uniform than has heretofore been possible.

While I have shown the compacting device `or condenser 45 in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 as spanning and filling in a substantial portion of the space between the consecutive pairs of rolls associated with my device, it will be readily understood that. in practice, the various forms of the compacting device or condenser shown and described may be constructed to have any appropriate or convenient size and dimensions. For example, the compacting device 45 may have the form and structure illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 but its length longitudinally may be made much shorter than that in the form depicted in Figs. l, 2 and 3, and, in certain instances, its length, in the direction of draft, may be as short as one-half of the entire distance between the nip points `of the pairs of rolls at either end of the condenser, with good performance and emciency resulting when 1n use.

I claim: Y

1. A compacting device for a sliver or roving having notched sections which provide a passageway therethrough which converges in the horizontal plane and is sinuous in the vertical plane, the notched sections which provide said passageway being inverted alternately and disposed for contact in succession with opposite sides of a. moving sliver or roving for bending it up and down as it passes through the device.

2. A compacting device for a sliver or roving having a series of ridges arranged transversely of the sliver and formed with substantially at forwardly inclined surfaces for bending the sliver up and :down as 'it passes over .and under alternate `ridges in going Athrough the device'combined with confining walls converging toward theldelvq ery end, the whole providing a converging :and vertically sinuous lpassageway.

. 3. VA compacting device for a sliver tor roving comprising a series `oi" cross-members arranged in two groups, Vthe 'crossfmembers 'of one :group being located in "spaces between 4those of the other group, 'the upper faces ofthe crosssmembers of one .group Yand the lower vfaces I.of those of 'the other group having therein notches with con@ verging vertical sides and providing va forwardly converging passageway through the device fand the alternating upper Vand lower faces-forming 8, vertically sinuous Vpath for the sliver or roving.

4. .A drafting ,mechanism .having yspaced pairs of irolls .forming a succession of drafting zones and .having between 'two 'adjoining pairs of rolls a compacting device having .notched sections which provide Va passageway therethrough which converges in a Ahorizontal plane toward the delivery end and .is fsinuous 1in the vertical plane, the notched sections which'provide said passageway `.being inverted alternately and disposed for contact with .opposite sides of -a sliver or roving for bending it up and down-.as it passes through theV device.

A5. A compacting device for a sliver or rovine comprising two separable cooperating members each including a series of cross-members arranged transversely of the sliver with each crossmember spaced relatively to its neighbor; the

, cross-members of one member being located in the spaces between the cross-members of the other member, the upper faces of the cross-members of one member and the lower faces of those of the other member having therein notches with converging vertical sides, the vwhole providing a forwardly converging and vertically sinuous passageway through the device.

6. A compacting device for a sliver or roving comprising a series of cross members arranged in two groups, the cross members of one group beinglocated in spaces between those of theother .,g-roup, the upper faces of the cross members of one :group and the lower faces of those of the other group being formed with substantially flat 'forwardly' inclined surfaces for deflec'ting the sliver or roving laterally to one side and the yother `while it moves across 4the said surfaces over and under alternating cross members in passing 'through the device, there being side walls converging toward the delivery end of; the device and associated with said cross members, the 'upf per and lower sliver deiiecting surfaces of alterbers'of the other member. theiuoper facesof the cross members of one memberand the lower .faces of those of the other member being substantially flat Aand forwardly inclined andV disposed in the path of ,travel of .the Isliver -or roving to present thereto a series of ridges 'alternately in contact with the top and bottom sides `of the sliver or roving 4for k'bending .it up and down as itpasses through the device over and under the said alternating ridges, .there being vertical confining walls converging toward the delivery 'end o'f the device. and the wholeproviding a .forwardly converging and vertically sinuouspassag'eway 'through the device for the sliver or rovine.

8. The method of compacting a sliver or roving which comprises progressivenr compressing it laterallyand alternately :bending it up andfdown by .subjecting .it to `a succession v4of deectng forces `applied by. a series `of flat forwardly inclined supporting 'surfaces alternately 'in contact with opposite lsides 'of the. :said sliver or rroving while moving 'it in an iaxial direction vacross said surfaces and vslulltaneousiy drafting it.

9. .A drafting ,mechanism .having spaced .pairs of drawing rolls .forming eat. least one drafting zonefand Aincluding in said drafting zone a com pacting device having a-.series of .notchedsections one behind the other which provide la constricted notched passageway therethrough, .the .notched portions 'of alternate sections being inverted 'and each having substantially 'flat Yforwardly inclined guiding surfaces disposed tozcome alternately in contact. lwith the opposite 'sidesl of fa sliver or roving as .it passes through the device, the passageway formed bysaid notched Asections converging .in a Ylfiorizontal plane'toward the delivery end. fand being .sinuous in the vertical plane.

l0. A compacting-devicefor a vsliver .orroving having a plurality of notched members spaced apart and arranged .one behind the other providing a constricted notched passageway therethrough, the notched portions of said lme'mbe'rs being inverted alternately .and each ,hav/ing substantially 'flat forwardly 'inclined guiding surfaces disposed tocome `alternatels7 in contact with the opposite sides of -a moving sliver or roving as it passes through 'theV device, theapassageway formed by said Inotched members converging in a horizontal plane vtoward theA delivery end and being sinuous `into the. Vvertical vplane- LESTER E. Krenn file of this .patent:

UNITED vsfr-Aires PATENTS Number Name IDate.

ZQQFHASS Hain Mal. 23, 1,937 2,272,787. Bentley ,\Feb. l0, 1942 

